Every year eager college students go through the sorority recruitment process, my roommate included. One day while discussing her sorority life she told me that it was illegal for sororities in the state of New York to own sorority houses because of something called “The Brothel Law.” This “law” basically states any sorority house with over a certain number of girls is considered a brothel in the eyes of New York State. This story has been spread across numerous amounts of college campuses throughout the years. However, after extensive research and a discussion with my mom, I discovered that while the law used to be around, it no longer is. In fact, it is possible that this law never existed in the way we hear about it. How this tale came about could be credited to confusing different types of zoning laws. In some places, there are zoning laws that limit the number of people who can live in a house both male and female. Sororities at many schools in the United States have accepted that this fake law is real and take precautions to follow it. This rumor has caused many female college students to make adjustments to their living situations.
Over 100 college campuses across the United States do not have sorority houses, despite having on-campus sororities, this could be because the National Panhellenic Councils attempt to make joining Greek life more affordable. People are willing to spend thousands of dollars in dues to their sorority, but for some, this is not economically feasible. Joining a sorority should be something accessible to all, but because of the amount it costs to simply join at some schools, not every girl can. St John’s sorority dues are a lot more affordable, allowing a more inclusive rush process. Girls at St. John’s can still live with their friends and sisters, it just technically would not be considered a sorority house. This article is serving as a PSA to all women currently questioning how legal it is to live in a house with other women, it is.